The last time I tried to take pictures and videos in our class, most people did not wish to be in it, and almost all rejected the idea of being on the netů Chris and you might be interested and willing, but many people do not have this position.
Further, I do not make the rules, Sensei does, and I prefer to study and not to keep myself cornered to the camera.

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David Valadez wrote:

As for what you experienced, Amir, please let me ask: Why do you think you were jumpy, requiring the drill to slow down? Are you normally jumpy when doing Kihon Waza? If not, why not? Or, was it something about the drill that made you jumpy? If so, what was it, and how was that solved by slowing down? Did you get less jumpy when things slowed down? If you did, do you feel you got less jumpy because the slower speed of the drill? If you are not normally jumpy in kihon waza, and you were less jumpy (or not jumpy at all) when the drill was slowed down, do you think you would be jumpy again when the drill speeds up? If not, why not?

I was jumpy, because the drill was at the edge of my ability and concentration, at least for that day, and I was working with someone who was able to press me hard, to the point of making mistakes. Reducing the speed, reduces the pressure, and thus makes me less jumpy. Our purpose in such drills is to instill correct behavior, not to attempt to fight and win through (I was doing that last one, but with incorrect behavior). And as for the future, experience shows me that as time progresses, the speed at which I normally feel comfortable increases (If this was not clear, this exercise and others of it's type are not new to us).

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David Valadez wrote:

I'm asking these questions because these questions, or ones like them, are part of the beginning of these pursuits you are seeing in these alternative types of training.

As I already wrote more then once. David, the way you are exploring is an inherent part of our learning method, from the very beginning. The Korindo Aikido Randori I have practiced since the first year, was mostly with both sides free to attack and defend in the chaotic approach, and grabs are rare in that exercise. The difference is we consider it as a gradual learning exercise, and slowly increase the level of pressure, keeping in mind we wish people to systematically learn correct behavior and integrate it into their movement. The idea is not to be satisfied with good improvisations, the practice is not a fight

[quote=David Valadez;196174]
In the drills you have seen on Chris' video and on my video, and even in the drill described by Amir, speed, for example, is one thing that makes the basics not the basics. I am sure, you will want to say something like speed is irrelevant - the basics are always the basics, etc. - especially if you have not ever experienced how basics take on new meanings/additional meanings under more dynamic conditions, by my experience is that speed is very relative to what one is trying to accomplish and/or cultivate. So much so, that if you take out speed, slowing things down, you are not doing the drill anymore. Look at it this way, if a person does kihon waza all the time, and they are never jumpy when they do kihon waza, and they aren't jumpy when they do any of the above mentioned drills slowly, but they are jumpy when they does these drills fast, going slow is not going to do anything regarding the jumpiness. You already know how not to be jumpy when not faced with speed and the unknown. Sure, if you go slower, you will be able to get your waza off, just like you could when you do kihon waza, but if slow reps, or if more controlled conditions, are what you need to go from jumpy to non-jumpy when going fast, it should have already happened when you were doing kihon waza, which we can now note, speaking abstractly here, that that didn't work - since all the kihon waza training previously done didn't stop you from getting jumpy in the first place. My point is that you were looking at a different beast when the drill was fast (a "different" set of basics). By going slow, you simply made the training more akin to what you already know you can do. For me, that is not really training, or, better said, that's not what we are after in the drills we do. We are not after in doing what we already know we can do. We are after we we cannot yet do.

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David Valadez wrote:

David, replace slow with slower and you may realize the difference in methodical approaches.
If I have a problem doing the waza (or in my case, moving around the attacker) at a certain fast speed, and wish to do it correctly, then I lower the speed to the point at which I do it correctly most of the time, not to slow speed, instead to a medium speed at the edge of my ablity, practicing at that speed increases my range of comfort, and then I practice at faster speed. At this way, I have already significantly increased the comfort range of speeds at which I practice Randori and such exercises. This approach is working.

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David Valadez wrote:

And, on a another different note: I have to say that there is just a tad too much unchecked egocentricism regarding the self-righteous crusades to save someone else's students. I see so much of that here, on this site, and even in this thread. It is so ridiculous a campaign, so silly a position to adopt. It's full of too much ignorance, misguided nerve, foolish pride, to point to someone and say, "I think your students are in danger - I need to point that out! I'm Super Aikidoka, and if I didn't point it out here, only God knows what will happen to them! (Play hero theme music here.)" Ridiculous. Think about it, or take my case directly...

I seem to recall Chris asking us to comment, and you joining your videos to the same thread as another example, implying you would welcome comments. Had you not wanted comments or identification, you could have refrained from placing the vids here.
As for my credentials, I think they are rather clear to most reading this forum. I am not a teacher, I have been practicing for over 15 yrs, as an amateur (2-3 times a week, over two hours sessions). I think this is sufficient experience to give comments based on my POV when asked for it.

I would also point out I did not say it is dangerous for your students, I did object to the idea of experimenting ideas on beginner students. You should experiment with your coherts.